Their Moments
by G-Cleft
Summary: Fuuko and Tokiya's love story unfolds. CHAPTER 3 is up! Happy reading!
1. Coffee Conversation

**Disclaimer**: Flame of Recca belongs to its rightful owner, and that person is Nobuyuki Anzai, not me. I won't get in the way of your reading but I'd just like to say, please read the **author's note **at the end of this chapter. It's important.

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**COFFEE CONVERSATION **

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Fuuko Kirisawa was late.

Breathing heavily from a dash she had not anticipated, she entered the bistro along Akinomora avenue and scanned the place for the man who just sent her a text message almost fifteen minutes ago saying he was already there.

A guilty smile spread across her lips as she locked gazes with a familiar pair of light blue eyes from the back of the room. She ran to the man with the enigmatic eyes.

"Mi-chan! I missed you so much!" she yelled as she threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him. "I can't believe we were separated for nearly two weeks, I was dying of boredom!" she tightened her embrace.

"Fuuko, I can't breathe." Tokiya Mikagami choked out. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a group of middle-aged women watching them with knowing smiles on their faces. Not like he cared when Fuuko was in his arms.

"Sorry." Fuuko pulled back reluctantly. She sniffled.

Tokiya blinked. Were those _tears_ in her eyes? And a while ago, did she just say she hated being _separated _from him? He expertly stopped a smile from escaping his lips. He had no idea that being in Hiroshima for a seminar would turn his strong-willed girlfriend into a drama queen. It became extremely obvious how much she missed him. This reunion was turning out to be better than he had imagined.

He stood up and spoke into her ear. "You're making a scene."

The expression on her face faltered.

"But it doesn't matter. I still love you anyway." He smirked.

Her face broke into a grin and she leaped into his arms again. To his mortification, the bistro burst into a round of applause.

Heat rose to his cheeks. He pretended not to notice when two waitresses sighed enviously in the background. To his left a girl, oh—make that a _guy, _winked at him. Some Domon look-alike let out a catcall. The girls to his right stared at them with dreamy eyes, while a little boy pretended to be gagging while the little girl next to him covered her eyes and muttered, "Oh gross."

This was very embarrassing. But when he turned towards her and saw that her face was all lit up in a smile, it no longer mattered.

He leaned down to speak into her ear. "You still owe me my welcome back gift, but I doubt I will be able to get it here, with all these people."

Fuuko's eyes went as wide as saucers. "What--?"

Tokiya rolled his eyes. "Remember our last conversation over the internet? You admitted that I was a bishounen."

"Did you have to rub it in? I remember that but I don't remember promising you a gift." She looked thoughtful.

_Clueless, indeed. _Tokiya leaned in closer and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "That's your clue."

He was very, very, _very _irritated when the bistro broke into another round of applause. Honestly, didn't these people have lives as well as their own businesses?

Fuuko blushed but she threw her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. "Now I know what you're talking about. But this is what I can manage at the moment. No, uh—privacy, you know."

The volume of applause went louder and did not stop until the couple sat down. "You look great. Did you lose weight?" Fuuko asked.

Mikagami, who did look great in a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans, rolled his eyes. And in three, two one—Fuuko counted silently—his face formed a smirk. "I did. So, why were you late?"

"Mi-chan--," she tried to think of ways to say she overslept her nap.

"Tokiya." He cut in.

"TOKIYA." Fuuko mumbled distractedly, focusing on her next move. In times like these when she was being pressured by Mi-chan, her natural creativity manifested itself spontaneously.

She had a strategy. Clearing her throat, she said, "With the type of acuity you possess, nothing and nobody can get away—unless you let them. I am going to get away and this will officially be the eighth time, if you're keeping count. I know I am."

Tokiya propped an elbow on the table and casually rested his chin on its open palm. He leaned towards her and regarded her with an intensity that would've caused her to falter. "What makes you so sure?" he asked.

She shrugged and grinned openly. "Because I'm one of your favorite persons. No—I strand corrected. I _am _your favorite person."

"So, the late Miss Kirisawa has the audacity to be cocky." Mikagami regarded her with a look she fondly labeled _hide and seek_, because it attempted to hide amusement in places where one could easily find—if one knew where to look. Fuuko found it in his eyes at that moment, the spontaneous sparks that surfaced when they were having verbal spars such as this one.

Tokiya took advantage of her moment of introspection by continuing his lecture on_ the cons of being tardy. _"When it comes to rationalizing that nasty habit of yours, you need to take lessons in logic." He paused. "What you said was a fallacy built on a truthful premise but leading to a conclusion which begs for proof." He said, matter-of-factly.

Fuuko winced at her boyfriend's uncanny ability to relate the most isolated things, like being unpunctual, to the either the academe or his profession.

But she wasn't backing down. She raised her eyes to level with his challenging glare. "Which argument begs for proof? The one where I said I'm your favorite person? Seeing that you aren't over and above denial like I thought, you ought to rebut my contention by saying I'm not your special girl after all."

_Got you, Mi-chan! Reverse psychology and logic rolled into one cogent argument. _She hid a smile, proud of herself for learning how to use his language from the times she spent in his company.

Tokiya fell silent, impressed. How did she manage to constantly amaze him? Logic was supposed to be _his _forte, not hers. She was supposed to excel at reading barometers and stuff like that. Being in a relationship with her was like waking up every morning and finding yourself in a place you never set foot in, filled with excitement and adventure.

After a substantial amount of time passed (and Fuuko looked smugger with each second), he still could not think of a clever remark so decided to speak freely. "If you were not my special girl, I would have tortured you for making me wait."

Fuuko brought a triumphant fist down on the table. "Yeah! You just let me get away with being late, buster! You lose, Mi-chan! Loser! Loser!" she chanted, throwing upward punches in the air repeatedly.

All eyes (which amounted to twenty-seven pairs) were drawn towards their table like magnets for the third time. A businessman sitting close by almost dropped his coffee mug in shock.

"I can't believe this." Mi-chan said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"And besides, you don't mind waiting for me. You're fond of me." Fuuko asserted.

Tokiya raised a brow. "Feel free to jump to conclusions."

Fuuko shrugged. Mi-chan was being Mi-chan again. Besides, when she said she loved Mi-chan, she meant the _whole _package.

She reached for the book beside him and scanned its cover. "Plus, you have this to keep you company. What's this? _Pride and Prejudice_ … wow, it says a lot about… you."

"Thanks a lot." Tokiya muttered.

A waitress appeared and unloaded two cups of coffee from her tray.

"I took the liberty of ordering." Tokiya told his girlfriend, who was presently occupied with the book. It was rather obvious and he had no idea why he said it. Perhaps it made him feel good to inform her that he knew her preference when it came to simple things like beverage. He also knew she consistently placed two teaspoons of sugar on her coffee. On Mondays she would never order her favorite hazelnut brew. She hated it when the coffee creamer would form lumps and float on the drink… she had coffee with Yanagi Sunday nights around eight o'clock p.m. …

The waitress walked away.

Fuuko momentarily glanced up from the book and flashed him a sideway smile.

Tokiya sipped his coffee seriously, noting the flood of warmth that covered him at the sight of her smile.

"Mi-chan—"

"Tokiya." He coolly interrupted. "I thought we settled this."

Fuuko sighed, then in an instant, her face changed and she grinned mischievously. "_Baby," _(He nearly spit out his coffee at this) "this is really different from the stuff you read. I mean, the last book was on Marxism, it had that ugly symbol in barf green on the cover. That was after you read Aristotle's _Republic_. Jane Austen, the author of _this_ book, wrote about themes that I never imagined would interest you." Fuuko said, holding the book up. "You know, she's writes openly about the nature of life."

"And you think I can't relate to that because I'm an ice block." Tokiya said in a dry tone.

"Feel free to jump to conclusions." Fuuko shot back.

Tokiya suppressed the urge to laugh with a mild snort. It seemed like she was stealing his trophy in this verbal sparring match. He had to do something.

Noticing that she had not touched her coffee, he reached out and started stirring it for her. "You know who Jane Austen is? It seems as though you've been paying attention in your literature class after all." He then took the sugar container lying nearby and dropped in two teaspoons for her.

Fuuko glared at him. "Duh, of course I listen in class. I think you have this mistaken notion that we're still in high school and I sleep in class or cut classes—"

"No. Maybe there were other reasons, like distraction. Perhaps your thoughts were engaged in something or someone. " Tokiya looked skeptical.

"Yeah? Who?" Fuuko snapped, aware of his jealous streak.

"Me." He said this as if it was the most natural truth in the world. Taking a sip of her coffee and deciding it was good enough, he pushed the cup back towards her.

Fuuko blushed. "Okay. I didn't see that coming. But you know what, going back to our conversation, what I meant was that Jane Austen practically founded the genre of romantic comedies with her works. Do you read romantic comedies?"

Tokiya replied with scant affirmative.

"See? Now you understand why I'm confused at your choice of reading material." she handed the book to him.

Tokiya shook his head. "I bought this book in Hiroshima for you."

Fuuko blinked. "Me? Are you sure? Because if I weren't familiar with Jane Austen, I'd think it's a self-help book for people like you. You read it."

Tokiya muttered something inaudible under his breath. His girlfriend was clearly unaware of the fact that he went past all standards of patience and thrift in purchasing for her the collector's edition, packed with cliff notes and other valuable information. _That _was a mean feat in itself. "I already read it way back in high school. It was on my reading list in world literature. You can very well relate to it, Fuuko."

"You think so? Why? What's it about?"

Tokiya closed his eyes to help him focus on the story's summary. "It's set in the Regency era, but I don't have time to explain that right now. A woman named Elizabeth Bennet is initially attracted to Fitzwilliam Darcy but is repelled because of his pride."

The coffee Fuuko attempted to swallow almost spewed out of her nostrils. She ended up choking. Tokiya's instant reflexes led him to pat her on the back.

Next thing he knew, she was choking back laughter.

"What's so funny now?" Tokiya drawled.

"I'm sorry." She reached for his hand and give it a light squeeze. "It's just that the Darcy guy reminds me of someone." She looked straight into his eyes as her lips formed an affectionate smile.

He turned her palm over and laced his fingers with hers. "If you are accurate, you must be thinking of a handsome, rich, intelligent, well-bred--"

"Yes, it's you." No point in denying the obvious. Besides, her attention had drifted from the enumeration of his finer qualities to something more interesting. She stared at their locked fingers, appreciating how it made her feel like his hand was molded just to fit hers.

"What happened to them?" she asked when she managed to find her voice.

Tokiya's eyes snapped back to her face. Like her, his attention had lingered on their hands. His eyebrows narrowed. "What's the use of buying the book if you want me to tell you the whole story anyway?"

Fuuko pouted.

And because sometimes actions speak louder than words, Tokiya had no choice but to indulge her request. He sighed. "Well, Darcy started to pursue her and show his affections but Elizabeth had already labeled him as arrogant and proud, like _someone_ I know would do."

"Okay—fine, let me entertain your digression if only for your amusement." she gave in, but with a grin. "I've called you an arrogant conceited jerk in the past because that head of yours, Mi-chan," --at this point, Tokiya again insisted that she call him by his first name-- "was so inflated I wondered how it could ever fit into your front door. Remember those times you called me a monk—"

He cleared his throat, because he did not want to remember those incidents when he used to associate a certain beautiful girl with banana-loving animals. "Anyway, Darcy gathers enough courage to propose to her and then—" He sealed his lips decidedly.

"And then what?" Fuuko asked.

Tokiya merely blinked. Their hands were still clasped so his attention drifted to the length of her fingers.

"And then what?" After reiterating the question thrice, she clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on his fingers, almost crushing them.

It would have cost him his pride if he growled in pain, so he absorbed the pain behind a stoic façade and did not release his grasp on her hand till she finally relented and loosened her crushing grip.

"You're still as violent as you were the day I met you." Tokiya accused.

"Don't blame me because you could've easily let go instead of enduring the pain." Fuuko shot back. She started stroking his almost bruised knuckles with her free hand.

Tokiya scowled at her. "Did it occur to you that apparently, I didn't want to let go?"

Fuuko looked up at him in surprise. Then in three, two, one—Tokiya silently predicted, a slow smile spread across her lips.

And this time _he_ didn't see it coming, the gesture that melted his heart and would remain burned in his memory forever. She raised his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

An eternity lapsed and all he could do was stare at her.

"Breathe, Tokiya!" she ordered, breaking into gales of laughter. "It wasn't that bad. I believe you mentioned on more than one occasion that I'm a hot kisser."

She was tactless. A stone would appear more modest when placed next to her. But she was right, and _this time _he could not let her get away with it.

His face softened into the beginnings of a smile. "Perhaps I did."

Fuuko's eyes widened. Tokiya Mikagami—her protective, conservative boyfriend, did not normally take outrageous comments like that lightly. The last thing she expected was an agreement. Whenever he agreed to something disagreeable for her sake, there was always a price.

"and the only way to prove that you are a _hot _kisser is if you showed me here. We would both be happy. You can revel in the fact that you're right and I would get my welcome-back gift."

She looked at him and her face reflected doom.

_Reverse psychology, __**baby**__. Don't mess with the expert. _Tokiya's face spelled out his thought.

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**Author's Rant:**

((Woohoo, pretty clever, Tokiya! Turning the table by using her logic tactic on her. But don't underestimate Fuuko Kirisawa—she's going to score a major point in the next chapter))

**Author's Note:**

I'm back guys and it feels great! ) I promise that I will not abandon you in this new fic. To all readers of _Memorabilia, _my apologies (if you want to know the reason why I discontinued that fic, head to my profile). This is what the future chapters would have materialized into if only I had actually researched and gotten past the anime/manga chapters.

**There's something important for you to keep in mind as you read the future chapters. The plot is not presented to you chronologically. Why? Because I'm setting you up for a challenge. **

This fic will be made up of eight chapters. After I post the last one, I'd like you to tell me how the chapters should be chronologically arranged. If there are at least ten readers who get it right, then….

Then we'll cross the bridge when we get there. For now, I'll have to dangle the suspense.

I will post CHAPTER 9 as the results chapter after I get your opinions. I will also reveal what I'm going to do in behalf of the readers who have identified the correct chapter order and for those who have been supporting this fic.

Send me a note, guys. Post a review. After all, I've been gone for a while and I missed writing for you.


	2. Terms of Endearment

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these two great FOR characters. I just try to write them.

**Again, **there's an **author's note** down there you should check out. Trust me, it will help you understand this fic and guide you in figuring out the clues for my challenge.

_Thanks to all who reviewed. ) Check out the __**thank you **__section below for details. And to those who continue to support this fic in the background, thanks too but please step out of the shadows. Send me your thoughts. It's amazing how one single review can go a long way. I fought writer's block for you guys… I hope you speak up for me. Honestly, __**feedback matters to me**__. _

This chapter's for **Yanagi-chyan**, whose fic _The Other Side of the Mirror _lent tremendous support and inspiration to me in writing this fic. )

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**TERMS OF ENDEARMENT**

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**Windgirl08:** MIIIIIIIII-CHAN!

**MikagamiTokiya:** Fuuko?

**Windgirl08:** DUUUUH! Who else calls you Mi-chan, anyway?

**MikagamiTokiya:** Fine. I miss you. It's my first attempt at using Yahoo Messenger and I just wanted to make sure I'm chatting with my girlfriend, not one of my stalkers.

**Windgirl08: **I could be your girlfriend and one of your stalkers. p I miss you too.

**MikagamiTokiya: **I didn't know you were on YM.

**Windgirl08: **I use it to keep in touch with my cousins in Nagasaki. I was pretty surprised you agreed to get on YM. You're an e-mail guy, not exactly a chat guy.

**MikagamiTokiya: **I'm not a chat guy at all.

**Windgirl08: **Yeah well, thanks to me you've just been converted.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Whatever.

**Windgirl08: **I'm glad we're chatting so I can talk to you longer and not worry about phone bills. Though there is one drawback of this magnificent plan of mine.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Only one?

**MikagamiTokiya: **How can it be called magnificent when it has a drawback?

**Windgirl08: **Haha. You've got persistent fan girls. If they can track you anywhere on campus, what's to stop them from finding you here? Plus, how do I know they aren't bombarding your screen with love messages right now?

**MikagamiTokiya: **I'm all yours, baby.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Fuuko, still there?

**Windgirl08: **Yeah.I was just having a moment. I love you, Mi-chan. )

**MikagamiTokiya: **I love you too. Just stop calling me Mi-chan.

**Windgirl08: **I can't get it out of my system. The "Mi-chan" thing is kinda second nature.

**MikagamiTokiya: **I noticed.

**Windgirl08: **How's your seminar? Everyone in the university is rooting for you.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Stressful. For the past week I had to listen to thirty politicians and their world views on morality, war and human rights. Maybe you should visit to make things more interesting. I could take you out on a date.

**Windgirl08: **_Maybe _if I didn't have a term paper to submit to the grad school in two days, I could jump on the next plane and fly to Hiroshima just to see you. Don't tempt me.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Quite the scholar, aren't we?

**Windgirl08: **I'll give you credit for it. When I became your girlfriend, I was loaded the extra burden of showing the world that I'm smart enough to deserve you.

**MikagamiTokiya: **You don't need to make a show of it. Some things are quite natural.

**Windgirl08: **Yeah, like the way I call you Mi-chan.

**MikagamiTokiya: **No, that's more like a force of habit. Natural is like the way you call my name out in your sleep.

**Windgirl08: **Excuuuuuuuse me, but since you have denounced yourself as my _Mi-chan, _then it's safe to say I don't call your name out in my sleep.

**MikagamiTokiya: **I can't believe you still call me Mi-chan in dreamland.

**Windgirl08: **I can't believe you still can't get used to it.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Get over it, Fuuko. Really, have you thought about how your obstinacy can batter my pride?

**Windgirl08: **Your _pride _can actually be battered?

**MikagamiTokiya: **only by a certain lovely woman who insists on calling a twenty-four year old man Mi-_chan. _

**Windgirl08: **What _should _I call you?

**MikagamiTokiya: **For starters, you can be normal and call me Tokiya.

**Windgirl08: **What about snookums?

**MikagamiTokiya: **Don't make me gag. I just ate dinner.

**Windgirl08: **What about _White Westinghouse_?

**MikagamiTokiya: **I beg your pardon?

**Windgirl08: **It's a brand of refrigerator, Mr. know-it-all!!

**MikagamiTokiya: **Very funny.

**Windgirl08: **How about _bishounen?_

**MikagamiTokiya: **Welcome to my fans club.

**Windgirl08: **Okay, not. How about "My Immortal"?

**MikagamiTokiya: **That's a song. You can't call your boyfriend a song.

**Windgirl08: **In case you missed it, I am FUUKO KIRISAWA. I can do whatever I want.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Right. And because my name is MIKAGAMI I _can't _let you get away with it.

**Windgirl08: **Ugh!

**MikagamiTokiya: **Spoilsport.

**Windgirl08: **Now _you're _calling me names.

**MikagamiTokiya: **You were on a roll. Don't I get a turn? This is a democratic country and as human beings your rights are my rights as well.

**Windgirl08: **Human being? Is that another name? I'm quite happy to accept it considering that in the past I've been called a monkey by a certain long-haired, egotistic, pompous, arrogant, conceited, vain, stuck-up guy

**MikagamiTokiya: **who now happens to be your boyfriend. You're using a thesaurus. That's cheating.

**Windgirl08: **You have so little faith in my vocabulary!

**MikagamiTokiya: **No. I just know you well enough to predict your next move.

**Windgirl08: **Hmph.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Come on, you love me for it.

**Windgirl08: **Whatever you say, fridge boy.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Fridge boy? Is that all you can manage? You deteriorate in your name-calling skills to clichés back in high school? You're losing your touch, Kirisawa.

**Windgirl08: **Don't provoke me, Mi-chan.

**MikagamiTokiya: **Or else what?

**Windgirl08: **Or else I won't kiss you when you get back here.

**MikagamiTokiya: **…

**Windgirl08: **Hello? Still there?

**MikagamiTokiya: **I'll let you call me Mi-chan but only till I get home.

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**Author's Rants:**

Yey! That was fun. ) I'm loving the competition so here's the score update on who's bagging points in this fic:

_Mi-chan- 1 (Coffee Conversation)_

_Fuuko-1 (Terms of Endearment)_

One of my favorite chapters to write so far! _Why?_ Because deviating from narration gives me more room for spontaneous character interaction. I didn't have to stop to describe the setting and didn't have to stop to think of the proper speech tag.

But what's better is that _in the next chapter, _Tokiya and Fuuko are going out of town with the Hokage gang! I have a question for you, dear reader. Do you have _any _idea how much Fuuko loves Tokiya? Read about it _in the next chapter. _)

Watch out for it, and watch out for clues that reveal keys to unlocking my challenge!

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**Author's Notes:**

1. I know you're probably wondering when the next chapter will be coming out. Let's talk about my **posting schedule**. My goal is to update this fic every **Friday night.** If all goes according to schedule, this fic will be finished on June 27. After that, I'm inviting you to take center stage as you unravel the sequence of events in response to my challenge.

2. Speaking of **the challenge, **here's a clue. Pay attention to minor details, like hints on character's ages, major events (birthdays, graduations, vacations, jobs etc) and any references to lines or incidents you read about in the previous chapters. In this chapter, I mentioned Tokiya's age. Did you get that? ;)

3. Here's another clue which I decided to add because you took the time to read this **author's note**. Just like the fic is composed of **eight **chapters, this fic actually covers **eight years** of Tokiya and Fuuko's lives.

4. And **what I'm dying to tell you**—and I hope you'll be as excited as I am about this— is the central piece of this story. At the starting point of this fic, Fuuko and Tokiya are already a couple! ;) I actually know a lot of great fanfics which tell us how they got together, among them are Mia Fitzpatrick's_ Just as You Are, _Khay's_ Kindred,_ Yanagi-chyan's _The Other Side of the Mirror, _MS Word's _A Cup of Tea_— and if you haven't read these yet, do it soon! There's a lot more I failed to mention because of partial amnesia but these are great, wonderful stories and I thought, what happens after they get together? Wouldn't it be great to write a fic about Fuuko and Tokiya as a couple? So, here goes! I was actually aiming for that in _Memorabilia _but oh well... you know what happened to that.

5. Lastly, **please review! **Do I sound desperate? Hehe. It's because your reviews can do a lot of things for an author. Besides moral support, you guys are actually the cure for writer's block. This story was meant **for you** to read, so I'd like to know what **you **think. Did you like it? Did it suck? React to it! Like I said_, __**feedback matters to me**__. _

6. I have taken it upon my shoulders to get to know my readers and reviewers. In fact, after this you'll find the **interaction corner** where I'm going to answer your remarks, questions, statements and reactions. In this section I may also include some experiences and thoughts while writing just like I did in my note to _Mealoaf _and _Yanagi-chyan_.

Hit that review button and see you in the next chapter!

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**INTERACTION CORNER:**

**Eirist, **thanks so much for being the first reviewer! I hope you take a shot at the challenge. Fuuko scored in this chapter, will Mikagami be back with a vengeance in the next one? Watch out!

Hey **Mealoaf! **;) Wanna know what possessed me to make Fuuko call Tokiya _baby? _It's the FOR episode where Recca and Tokiya team up to fight Miki and Neon. In the scene where Tokiya intercepts an attack from Miki, in the English dub, he goes, "You're fighting me, baby." ) I kinda swooned.

Thanks **Suryasree**, this is chapter two.

**Yanagi-chyan**! You rock my world, woman! Thanks for the information on AU. I am so ignorant. Now, I am going to take your advice and swipe it off the summary since yes, this took place right after Sodom. About _Pride and Prejudice, _I am so glad you brought it up since, yes you got it right again, I actually aimed to make a comparison between Darcy and Tokiya as well as Elizabeth and Fuuko. Great job, you figured it out! Have you watched the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen? ;) Fuuko kissing Tokiya's knuckles will be _really, really, really _familiar if you did. I think you'll be one of those who will bag the challenge. You're the only one who noticed _Pride and Prejudice _so far, and your eye for details is all it takes to solve the puzzle. Thank you, Yanagi-chyan! Hope you liked this chapter as well. It _is _dedicated to you, after all. ) I can't wait to read _The Other Side of the Mirror_'s epilogue.

Thank you **airawinoa13** for the moral support. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to tone down the vocabulary a little, how'd I do? ;)


	3. Lovers Quarrels to Battle of the Sexes

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. Nobuyuki Anzai gets the credit, not me. However, I will claim ownership for a certain character who's named Kitsura.

As always, read the **author's notes, **there's an important announcement there. _Thank you so much reviewers _for the awesome reviews_,_ don't forget to check out the _interaction corner _for my personal side notes to each of you.

Let's get the show started. When I ended chapter two, I asked how much you think Fuuko loves Tokiya. Don't be startled by this chapter's title, read on if you want to get answers. After all, as Shakespeare said, "All's fair in love and war." ;)

Happy reading.

_For… __**Eirist **__who put a smile on my face simply by being the first reviewer._

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**FROM LOVERS QUARRELS TO BATTLE OF THE SEXES**

* * *

Tokiya Mikagami brought the van to a smooth stop and turned to his girlfriend in the passenger seat. He arched a brow perfectly. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Fuuko punched him playfully in the arm then proceeded to fold a map of Shizuoka on her lap quite innocently.

"What was that for?" Tokiya rubbed the spot on his arm which was turning a dark shade of red.

Fuuko shrugged. "That's how I say yes sometimes."

"I had to ask." He muttered, unclasping his seat belt.

Fuuko stuck her tongue out at him, after which he said something about maturity under his breath which she didn't bother to catch. "Honestly, Mi-chan. I can read directions." She positioned her sunglasses over her head so that it served as a sort of headband.

"I trust your abilities, Fuuko. It's the fact that Ishijima is actually a stock holder of this place that is not registering." He said, stepping out of the van.

"Well, wrestling can obviously pay." Fuuko commented as she alighted from the vehicle as well.

Tokiya opened one of side doors to reveal Recca snoring on Yanagi's lap. Ironically, the former Hokage healer was sleeping peacefully despite her seatmate's thunderous snores.

Tokiya poked the snoring Recca testily. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

Recca didn't budge.

Fuuko folded her arms. "I don't see what's so beautiful about drooling on your girlfriend's lap."

Mikagami sighed. "Haven't you ever heard of irony?"

"Let me do it." Fuuko pushed her boyfriend out of the way. She cleared her throat then yelled, "OI! WAKE UP, MORON! WE'RE HERE!"

Recca's eyes shot open and his body jerked upright into a sitting position. Fuuko grinned as she realized she succeeded in waking both him and Yanagi up at once.

"Geez Fuuko, do you have to be aggressive all the time?" Recca poked an index finger inside his right ear to check if he was still capable of hearing. "I don't know why Mikagami hasn't broken up with you yet. That wake-up call just turned me deaf."

Fuuko threw a punch across his left cheek. "Leave Mi-chan out of this, fool!"

Unfortunately (and because Tokiya held her back just in time) she missed by an inch, which left Recca cracking his neck and yawning. Tokiya's smirking face then appeared in Recca's line of vision. "Do you have any idea how patient I am, Hanabishi?."

"Very patient, indeed. Or you can spare yourself the psychiatric fee and just feed her sedatives so she'd shut up." Recca drawled spontaneously, reaching for his mineral water bottle. "It's hot in here. Princess, you alright?" He raised a brow at Yanagi.

Yanagi nodded sleepily. She took out a hairbrush from her pouch nearby.

Outside the van, Fuuko continued posing severe threats on Recca's life. In a fit of rage, she almost lunged at him but Tokiya stepped in front of her, sending her halting abruptly in mid-air.

"What the--! That's the second time! Get out of my way, Mi-chan!" Fuuko yelled, infuriated.

Tokiya ignored her, though that didn't discourage her from repeatedly trying and failing to push past him. He nodded at Recca. "We'd better unload the baggage, Hanabishi. What happened to Kaoru?"

Yanagi had just succeeded in tying her hair into a ponytail. At Mikagami's question she turned delicately to look at the seat behind her. She was expecting the two teenagers to be bouncing up and down at their arrival but then she belatedly realized they were being uncharacteristically silent.

Fourteen-year-old Ganko, the beautiful blond, had her arms folded and was staring disdainfully outside the window. The seat beside her was empty. Yanagi looked back at Recca with a feeling of dread.

Recca turned to Tokiya and silently mouthed. _What the heck happened?_

Tokiya, whose arm was draped around Fuuko's shoulder, revealed a masked expression on his face. And even though Fuuko was breathing heavily from exertion she couldn't miss the cloud of gloom hanging over Ganko's head. She squinted so she could see Kaoru. He was sprawled all over the backseat, ears plugged with earphones and lips forming a heavy frown.

_Uh-oh. _Fuuko thought.

* * *

"This is all your fault! If you haven't been flirting on the way, our vacation would have been perfect!" Kaoru Koganei raised his voice as he dragged two heavy roller bags towards the resort's entrance.

"Grow up, Kaoru!" Ganko followed him closely, one hand on a hip and the other carrying a cooler. "Don't accuse me of something you can't prove!"

"_Grow up, Kaoru._" Kaoru, the dashing eighteen-year-old spike-haired boy, mimicked in a falsetto voice. He turned around to face her, the backpacks sent flying in his movement's wake. "Well, what do you call all those text messages in your inbox, huh?"

She flicked an index finger at his chest. "Get over it! You're so immature! I told you he's just a friend!"

"He's just a friend, my foot! Tell it to the weatherman!" Kaoru yelled back emotionally. A droplet of his saliva landed on her cheek.

"Eeew!" Ganko took a step back, horrified.

"Break it up, you two."

When they wouldn't stop glaring defiantly at each other, Recca broke their proximity by stepping between them and holding them apart at arms length. The backpack he carried dropped to his feet. "You guys are ruining this trip."

Yanagi fell into step beside Recca. "It's going to be okay, you don't have to fight about this. Let's settle this inside, okay?" she smiled at them kindly and gestured towards the people who were chatting animatedly, playing volleyball or strolling across the resort's wide, garden-like lawn.

Recca and Yanagi walked towards the glass doors that loomed in front of then.

Kaoru sighed and was about to say something when Fuuko and Tokiya stopped in front of them, holding hands—just as he had pictured him and Ganko to be doing at this stage of the trip. _If it weren't for this stupid fight. _He thought bitterly.

To his horror, Mikagami removed his shades to shoot him one of his infamous penetrating glares. "Smooth, Kaoru. You're a real gentleman."

"Ni-san, I can explain." Ganko began, but Fuuko silenced her with a look.

"Try later, Ganko." Fuuko replied, giving her a sympathetic look.

Mikagami and Fuuko walked past them.

Kaoru and Ganko were left to stare awkwardly at each other. After some time, Ganko rolled her eyes and threw her arms up in exasperation. She stomped off, muttering incoherently about the absence of trust in a relationship.

Kaoru waited for her to be at a safe distance before picking up the roller bags and following her steps miserably.

* * *

"ISHIJIMA!" Recca hollered as a Mohawk-haired man stepped into view to greet them. He ran over to give his friend a hug and instantly regretted it when Domon Ishijima crushed him with his wrestler strength.

Domon released a wave of deep laughter as Recca doubled-over in pain. He smiled at the woman who was immediately at Recca's side, helping him up. "Yanagi, you're as pretty as ever."

Yanagi blushed and said, "Thank you, Domon-san."

Domon felt a slight pang slice across his chest as Fuuko walked through the door. Still, after all these years, she could fill a room with her presence. Her hair had grown long and fell past her shoulders in wavy locks. Looking radiant in khaki shorts, a pink tank top, flip-flops and a dashing smile on her lips, he found her to be more attractive than the last time he saw her—which was when she had made it public that she and Mikagami were a couple.

She caught his eye and the grin on her face stretched. "DOMON!" she run towards him and flung herself into his arms. The wrestler guffawed in delight as he twirled her round and round before setting her on her feet.

"Whoa." she said dizzily as her hand flew up to hold her head. She took two unsteady steps backwards. Domon almost rushed to her but there was a blur of silver and next thing he knew, Mikagami held her protectively against his chest.

Ah, yes. Her boyfriend. Someone was looking after her now.

Domon suddenly remembered Kitsura. When he met his girlfriend, he finally understood why Fuuko was not meant to be his. It was because Kitsura was the girl for him, not Fuuko. But despite that, Fuuko would continue hold a special place in his heart.

He also understood (though it tortured him for a while) the deep attraction between Mikagami and Fuuko. It was exactly how he felt about Kitsura, maybe even deeper. So, even if the only time he would tell Mikagami this was over his dead body, he knew Fuuko and Mikagami were soul mates. Just like the lead characters he watched in his favorite Japanese soap.

He let out an unexpected sniffle and reached for his handkerchief.

Mikagami smirked at him. "Fuuko's a big girl, Ishijima. No need to bawl."

Domon blew his nose on his hanky. "Oh. Fuuko. Right."

Domon extended a hand to Tokiya. "Belated happy birthday, Mikagami. You've just turned twenty-three, right?"

Tokiya nodded and stuck his hand out when Recca cleared his throat. "Doesn't Mikagami get a hug?" he asked with a sneer. This merited him a sharp poke in the ribs from Yanagi.

"Shut up, Hanabishi. This is how real men do it." Mikagami proceeded to shake Domon's outstretched hand. "Your jumping into Ishijima's arms a while ago--that was very gay."

Fuuko broke into a fit of laughter at Recca's expense. "Man, you are soooo articulate, Mi-chan!"

"Uncle Domon!" Another female voice rang out, and Domon turned to see a tall, blond-haired girl rushing towards him. Domon gave her a big bear hug while laughing breathlessly. "You're a real knock-out, Ganko." He winked at Kaoru who just stepped through the door. "This guy knows how to take care of you."

The group fell silent and Kaoru froze in mid stride.

Domon blinked.

There was not a sound, except the music playing in the background, which ironically, was Chicago's hit song _Hard to Say I'm Sorry._

Domon scratched his head questioningly. _What was going on?_

Fuuko cleared her throat. "So, uh, where's Kitsura?"

"Kitsura, oh!" Domon's attention snapped and he was able to catch on with the diversion. Today was proving to be one of his better days. "She's checking your accommodation. I placed you in the suites. It's world class. Come on guys, you must be tired. Let's get you drinks. Head for the bar, it's this way." He pointed to the right. Recca grabbed Yanagi's hand while grinning idiotically and both immediately took off in that direction, Yanagi being more like dragged.

Domon rolled his eyes then snapped his fingers twice, and two bellboys appeared behind him.

"Make sure there are no mistakes and that these bags get to the suites."

"Yes, sir." The two men bowed and rushed to do their jobs. One of them disappeared and emerged with a pushcart while the other was preoccupied picking up the backpacks, briefcases, coolers, and plastic bags strewn on the carpeted floor.

"Oh, be careful with that. I've got my sketchers there." Ganko cautioned the man who lifted the pink backpack Kaoru had formerly been carrying.

"Why the heck did you have to bring rubber shoes to the beach?" Kaoru demanded.

Ganko flicked him an irritated look. "Why the heck do you care? Number one, I could use it to run off the next time I see you. Number two, I don't get why you're so agitated about rubber shoes when you're wearing one yourself."

Kaoru seethed silently as she walked out on him for the _second _time. It was really getting on his nerves!

Fuuko sighed as she noticed Domon staring at Kaoru with jaw dropped open. "I'll explain later."

* * *

"Ganko is absolutely driving me crazy!" Fuuko exclaimed the next day.

It was two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was shining hotter than ever, and she was on the terrace of the hotel's restaurant which overlooked the sea, sipping piña colada with the love of her life.

She rested her cheek on an open palm. "Do you know what she was doing when I left our room? Watching episodes of Fushigi Yuugi --Fushigi Yuugi for crying out loud! That's the first anime teenagers in a relationship crisis should not watch. The mush can turn you homicidal."

"You sound like her mother." her companion shook his head, a half smile lingering on his lips. "Believe it or not, Koganei was watching the Rurouni Kenshin episode where Kenshin Himura said goodbye to the woman he loved—Kaoru Kamiya. He left her because he was the only one who could put an end to Mikoto Shishio. He fought to protect her; he fought in order to preserve her life."

"Looks like you were watching it with him." she couldn't resist but joke.

"I was. Brought back memories." He said, giving her a look mixed with tenderness, hurt and despondency. It was so powerful that it unnerved her. It was so transparent she could see he was scared. And she knew in that instant why he was scared. He feared that what happened in the past would come back and he would lose everything he owned at the moment, above all peace and security.

Nameless emotions swept through her as she lifted her hand and used it to cover his. "Mi-chan, listen to me. It's not the first time I've told you this, but let go of the past."

"I have and you are the reason why. It's the future I'm not certain of." He averted his eyes, but not before she caught a pained look in them. Her heart dropped at such a sight. _What do I have to do to convince him?_

"Right now, there's us. You have me and I am here for you always. That's all that matters." she spoke freely and straight from the heart while trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Am I not enough for you?"

There was an eternity of silence.

Finally, Mikagami took a deep breath and removed his hand from hers.

Fuuko recognized it as the third sign of withdrawal (the first was his hesitation, the second his silence). She knew his character. He'd walk away. That evening, he would stop talking to her. Tomorrow, he would refuse to see her. The next day—

She didn't even want to think about it. Shaking her head, she rose to her feet, left some bills on the table and dragged a reluctant Mikagami by the hand to the first private, empty place she would set her eyes on outside the restaurant.

They found themselves in a room with a fountain in the center and an array of orchids covering the walls. The floor was filled with pebbles of different sizes and colors. She remembered it from yesterday, when she toured the resort with Yanagi and a very dismal Ganko. At present, it caught her eye, maybe because the water and the fountain reminded her of Tokiya.

Fuuko closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Okay, Mi-chan. You can't run away from me here. Spill. " She cupped a hand to his chin and turned it deftly so that he would be forced to look her in the eye.

"Leave me alone." He pulled her hand away from his face and moved towards the door.

_Oh no you don't. _Fuuko predicted this move and stepped directly in front of the door, blocking him squarely from it. "Escape is out of the question. The only way you're leaving is if you tell me what's bothering you."

Tokiya folded his arms and stared at her stubbornly.

Several slow, awkward minutes passed.

Fuuko grew impatient. "Is this your flight plan? Just wait for me to grow tired and give you free access out this door? We can stare at each other till the Armageddon comes for all I care. I won't budge till you tell me why you're so paranoid."

Tokiya flinched. "Fine. I don't believe in us." He paused to let the words sink in and sighed when her shoulders slumped. "Sooner or later you'll get tired of me. You'll leave. Just like the rest of them. It's just a matter of time. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Fuuko took a deep breath and stepped up to him so that their faces were merely centimeters apart. The fire in her eyes danced.

Tokiya braced himself. She was either going to punch him or kick him, but either way, he was going to get hurt. Yet he didn't even bother with a defensive stance.

He waited for her blow but was surprised when all she did was flick an index finger to his chest. "THAT is the most ridiculous, absurd and nonsensical thing I have ever heard from someone so well-grounded in logic!" Her eyes narrowed to slits and the next words hit him with an irresistible force. "Get this through your thick skull--I LOVE YOU TO DEATH, YOU STUPID ICEBERG!"

He almost stepped back in shock, but she grabbed him by the lapels and closed the distance between them with a passionate kiss.

After a while, she pulled back, leaving him breathless and gaping at her in _admiration_.

She couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. "And if you _don't _want me to leave, ask me to marry you."

His eyes widened. Everything suddenly became clear. He was a paranoid fool unworthy of this incredible, wonderful woman before him, whose love for him was slowly starting to fill every spare room in his heart.

He dared look into her beautiful dark blue eyes and everything just fell into place.

Letting his senses take over, he pulled her towards him and kissed her until the need for oxygen overwhelmed them both.

* * *

"Okay, Hokage meeting." Recca said as he walked through the door of one of the resort's lounge areas. He flicked a bored look at his comrades. "Everyone settle down. This meeting is about to start."

His remark was out of place, as everyone had clearly settled down a long time ago. The energy reverberating from a typical Hokage assembly was missing and one could practically hear a pin drop.

"So, what's up?" Fuuko asked casually.

Recca raised a brow at her. Was it just him, or was Fuuko sitting closer to Mikagami than usual and was practically on his lap?

"Are you guys **finally **going to tell us what's going on with Kaoru and Ganko?" Domon asked in behalf of himself and his girlfriend, Kitsura, who nodded from the piano bench.

"That's our agenda." Recca folded his arms across his chest. "Apparently, it's getting out of hand."

Tokiya shot him a withered look. "What an understatement."

"You think?" Recca challenged Tokyo University's top law scholar.

"Recca, last time I saw Ganko, she was practically depleting the resort's supply of Kleenex from crying her heart out. I can't stand to see her like that." Yanagi said.

Recca threw her a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, and Kaoru's in the karaoke room singing depressing stuff like _Breaking Up is Hard to Do_ and every other song with goodbye in it _._What the heck happened?" Domon demanded.

"Last time we got together, they were acting all mushy." Kitsura, Domon's famous supermodel girlfriend (and not to mention, number one fan), looked bothered by the change.

Recca crinkled his nose. "Eew, I remember. They were feeding each other chocolate ice-cream. Kaoru probably got the idea from Fuuko and Mikagami, only difference is these two shared torrid kisses."

Fuuko automatically turned purple. "You're such a pig! I don't even know what torrid is!" she charged at Recca and this time Tokiya did nothing to stop her.

Recca gracefully dodged a kick. "Torrid is the way you kiss him! Update your vocabulary! The moment I walked in and saw you all over his lap, I knew. You two just made out." He grinned lecherously and ducked as Fuuko aimed an uppercut to his jaw.

Recca stuck his tongue out at her when she missed.

"You'd better shut up if you know what's good for you!" Fuuko raised an antique, priceless china over her head (which triggered Domon's panic) and was about to hurl it at the smug ex-ninja when Mikagami's voice, filled with an unknown timbre, cut her short.

He addressed Recca. "If you don't want your limbs strewn all over the Pacific Ocean, I suggest you take her advice."

Recca's swallowed as he looked into Mikagami's eyes that same moment. He could have turned into stone but he turned mum instead.

After a minute, Kitsura giggled uncomfortably. "Enough of Fuuko and Mikagami's private moments. Did it ever occur to you that you and Yanagi hold the title when it comes to public display of affection? "

Yanagi blushed.

"Thank you, Kitsura." Mikagami drawled.

Recca placed both fists on his waist. "Well, have you ever watched yourself and Domon in the mirror?"

"Enough, Recca-kun!" It was one of the very few moments Yanagi's reached a shrill pitch. "You're just showing that you have no respect for women."

But Recca just didn't know when to stop. "Well I don't know about these two, but I obviously have respect for you." He smiled sweetly at Yanagi while Fuuko and Kitsura seethed in the background.

Everyone started at the sound of piano keys being bashed. "Would you like me to _show _you how much of a woman I am?" Kitsura exclaimed in rage.

"Kitsura!" Domon's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets at the implication of his girlfriend's remark.

Kitsura pouted. "What?! Honey, I'm only putting Recca in his place. Sometimes I don't get why he's like, your friend."

"Guys, the business at hand." Yanagi sighed. "Ganko and Kaoru, remember?"

Kitsura threw her hands up into the air. "Well, what happened? It's so hard to get answers here. We can't solve a problem without the necessary facts."

Domon nodded in agreement.

"Ok, sorry." Fuuko held up one hand. "But here's Ganko's version of things."

At this, all eyes and ears focused on Fuuko.

"There was this guy whom she got paired with for a science project and then next thing she knows Kaoru's breathing down her neck and asking her _all these stupid questions. _He jumps to a conclusion and assumes that Ganko's interested in the guy. After that, things cool down for a while. But on the way here, the guy texts Ganko and asks for advice on a history project. Kaoru's like, _Who's that?" _Fuuko imitated Kaoru's voice so perfectly, Yanagi broke into a giggle. "_Nobody important.' _Ganko says, and then Kaoru gets all moody and hops to the backseat and basically he's sulking till now."

"That's it?" Recca blinked.

"What? You were expecting Kaoru and Ganko to slit each other's throat?" Fuuko asked sarcastically.

Recca folded his arms. "No, but that's so immature! There's really nothing to fight about!"

"Uh-huh. Coming from the guy who cried rivers and wouldn't speak to his girlfriend for two weeks after she cancelled their date two months ago. Why did Yanagi call off their date in the first place, Mi-chan?" she made a show of leaning towards him as if hanging on his every word.

"She had to pick her grandfather up at the airport." Tokiya finished with a flourish.

The whole room burst into wild laughter.

"Dude, you were jealous of her grandfather, man? You're such a baby." Domon rolled on the floor in laughter.

Fuuko slapped Tokiya a high-five.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Recca pretended to examine his fingernails. "Don't get me started on you, Domon."

Domon wiped tears of joy from his face. "Ooh, I'm so scared."

Recca growled and threw him a fierce look. He then jumped on the wrestler, engaging Domon in his own sport.

Kitsura rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're junior executive manager of a hotshot advertising company, Recca. You're such a kid."

"Enough already." Recca, trapped between Domon's left thigh and elbows, actually looked close to tears after being the butt of the day's jokes.

Yanagi cleared her throat. "What should we do now? About Ganko and Kaoru?"

"I think we should leave them alone. They're smart kids. They'll work it out on their own. We'll just get in the way." Domon tried to give _wise _advice. Recca used his hand to serve as a gun and pretended to shoot himself.

"I actually think Domon has a point." Mikagami said.

Fuuko raised a brow at him. "I don't. It's just like men to be so evasive. You think if you sit on your butt and wait all day, world peace will be achieved."

"Well it's just like _certain _women to stereotype." Mikagami replied, coolly.

"At least women show emotions, unlike some _certain_ stone cold men who think doing so will turn them gay."

"Just because I rarely show emotions doesn't mean I'm homosexual." Tokiya muttered.

Fuuko snorted. "Boyfriend, you took it personally. My bad. What're you gonna do? Cry to prove you have emotions?" she pouted at him tauntingly.

"There is another way." with a knock-out smile reserved for her eyes only, he drew close and kissed her in broad daylight.

The gang hooted and cheered. Or to put it aptly, the men hooted while the ladies cheered.

Tokiya leaned down to whisper in Fuuko's ear. "Miss Kirisawa, I don't think it's smart to challenge a future lawyer at something he's good at. Convincing people I'm right is my job. I hope I have erased any leftover doubts you have of my sexuality. However, if you need more evidence, my body is open for your inspection. Just make sure we're alone."

He had the nerve to don on one of his signature smirks, which made Fuuko turn a shade darker than a ripe tomato. It also made her weak in the knees, which did not usually occur and which only _he _could be the cause of. It also made her think he was so sexy.

Kitsura winked at Fuuko while Domon punched Tokiya in the biceps (which left a bruise for several days). The wrestler looked at him with stars in his eyes. "Mikagami, you're the man! I always thought you were girly but you're even more macho than Recca!"

Thankfully, the comment did not register with Recca, who was too caught up in the moment. "Boys rule and girls drool!" He exclaimed, making a face at Fuuko.

Fuuko looked like she was ready to explode from embarrassment and annoyance. "Yanagi, get your infantile boyfriend out of my face before I severely dislocate his nose!"

"Get out of there, Recca-kun!" Yanagi's eyes widened in panic. She pulled him out of the way before he could take another breath.

"Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned." Tokiya quoted.

Kitsura yawned, used to the entire ruckus. "Alright men, we ladies plan to hit the spa so let's wrap this thing up. What's the game plan?"

"Let's take a vote on this one." Tokiya said.

"Hey!" an annoyed Recca interjected. "I called this meeting. I call the shots too. And I say… let's vote."

"That's just what I said." Tokiya rolled his eyes at Recca.

"Well, I said it better." Recca said authoritatively.

Yanagi stepped in front of Recca and threw Mikagami an apologetic look. "Okay, all those in favor of Domon's suggestion which is to let Kaoru and Ganko fix up this mess on their own, raise your right hand."

Domon raised both hands, Tokiya followed suit and after a while, Recca's hand shot up into the air. Domon and Tokiya eyed him suspiciously.

"Recca-kun? I thought you were against Domon's plan?" Yanagi looked confused.

"Whatever gets me out of here, princess. I'm itching to join Kaoru at karaoke." Recca said sheepishly.

Yanagi shook her head. "Okay, who votes for doing something other than, in Fuuko's words, sitting on our butts and waiting for both parties to achieve world peace?"

Fuuko was the first to raise her hand. She was followed by Kitsura, then Yanagi.

"Great, it's a tie." Recca muttered. "Why couldn't you just abstain, princess, so we can get out of here?"

Yanagi placed hands on her hips. "Unlike you, Recca-kun, I have my principles."

Fuuko snickered. "Ouch. That has to hurt."

Kitsura placed an arm around each girl's shoulder. "Besides Recca, we wouldn't be here if you didn't call this meeting."

Recca looked at the guys tearfully. "Reinforcement, men?"

Tokiya pretended to examine the floor tiles while Domon examined his muscles.

Recca sighed. "What happened, dudes? I thought men are supposed to stick up for each other."

"DUH! Of course men are supposed to stick up for their fellow men. But men are not going to stick up for babies." Domon used the tone of a college graduate speaking to a kindergartner, which wasn't far from reality.

"Score!" Kitsura winked at Domon and blew him a kiss.

Recca folded his arms. "This is stupid. Let's just lock them up in a room and force them to settle their issue."

"Why Recca, that's the first smart thing you've said all day." Fuuko taunted him.

Recca snorted.

"It won't work. The pressure they'd feel from being forced against their own will would prevent any kind of sincere reconciliation from even taking place." Tokiya said.

"I actually think it would be romantic to be stuck in a room with the man you love." Kitsura sighed.

"Yeah, if you're not having a fight." Domon said. "You could do all sorts of… er, _stuff._"

At that moment, the door burst open and lo and behold, Kaoru walked in and to everyone's surprise, so did a very happy looking Ganko.

"I told you it was them." Ganko giggled and reached for Kaoru's hand.

Domon's jaw promptly dropped open.

Kaoru gazed at her fondly. His eyes transformed filled with irritation as he glanced around the room at his friends. "What's with all the bickering? Your volume can be heard from the karaoke room. How are we supposed to sing our love's duet when we have to compete with your noise?" Kaoru demanded.

"L-l-love's duet?" Yanagi stammered. "You guys made up?"

The two teenagers looked at each other love-struck and nodded.

Ganko turned to Fuuko and Yanagi. "You left me in the room watching Fushigi Yuugi episodes. I tried to wait for you to get back but I got bored and found Kaoru singing _Always be My Baby,_ our love song. For some reason, I felt—moved. I grabbed the mic and sang along—"

"_You'll always be a part of me…_" Kaoru started to belt out, grabbing both her hands.

"_And I'm part of you indefinitely…_" Ganko's melodic voice responded.

Kaoru transferred a hand to her cheek. "_Girl, don't you know you can't escape me, Oh darling…_"

"_'Coz you'll always be my baby_." Both of them ended the song with perfect blending. Both had hearts in their eyes.

"Someone gag me." Recca muttered.

"With pleasure." Domon replied and was about to do so, but was interrupted by Kitsura's nervous giggle.

"You know what? We've been cooped up here far too long. Why don't we all celebrate? Drinks are on us!" Kitsura announced happily and pulled Domon out of the door by the hand.

"Race you to the bar!" Kaoru winked at Ganko and both rushed out in a sweet chase, Kaoru stopping from time to time waiting for Ganko to catch up.

Recca grinned impishly at Yanagi and then reached out to tickle her. Yanagi burst into a fit of laughter and so did Recca, for some unknown reason. Their laughter lingered long after they left the room.

"Mi-chan,"

"Fuuko"

They spoke at the same time. Both stopped and eyed the other warily.

Mikagami gave her a courteous nod. "Ladies first."

Fuuko grinned impishly. "Well, we're all alone now. About your offer—"

Mikagami looked at her blankly.

"You know, about the evidence?" Fuuko waggled her brows.

Mikagami blinked thrice.

"The evidence that you're not gay? Can I have a look now?" She winked suggestively.

Tokiya groaned and engulfed her in a warm hug as she laughed away his embarrassment.

"All in due time, Fuuko." He said.

Fuuko pinched the tip of his nose. "I know. I was just kidding."

Mikagami nodded and put an arm around her waist. "You're such a tease."

They both walked out of the room, Fuuko grinning broadly on the outside while Tokiya fought to keep his mirth under cover.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S RANTS**

Hey guys, having fun? Whoa. That was a long one—all for you. But let's get to the statistics…

Fuuko scores again! )

Well yeah, if a chapter with the phrase _battle of the sexes _is written by a feminist, what do you think?

Which means…

Fuuko-2 (_Terms of Endearment, From Lover's Quarrels to Battle of the Sexes)_

Mi-chan-1 (_Coffee Conversations)_

Aww… I did love writing Fuuko and Tokiya's scene in front of the fountain. The fact that I love recording their arguments is already a given. ) Plus, I had the Hokage gang to keep me company! Writing them was a sweet ride!

_In the next chapter_, how will the Hokage team react when two of their friends become more than? It's Tokiya and Fuuko's homecoming as a couple. ;)

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

**A.** Okay, I can read minds and I know you guys asking how on earth **"Always Be My Baby"** turned out to be Ganko and Kaoru's love song. If you're not a Ganko-Kaoru person but are open-minded, try reason #2. Mealoaf is probably groaning at my constant reference to _baby_—but I didn't do that so Mealoaf can wring my neck (Mealoaf, stick around, you're one of my favorite readers). Here are my reasons:

1) The couple needed an appropriate modern pop song. Somehow, I doubted the popular duets like _Come What May _or _I Finally Found Someone, _or _I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You _would do the trick. Too old and _too odd_, just can't Ganko and Kaoru singing them. Can you?

2) Did you read the fic _Baby You're Mine _by bishounen lovah_?_ The song just reminded me of that fic.It's the best Ganko-Kaoru fiction out there. Read it and go figure.

3) The lyrics are just what I needed to end the chapter! By the way, for those of you who have never listened to this song, check out _David Cook's_ (the new American Idol, sigh) version. It's nowhere close to Mariah Carey's take on it. For one thing, David Cook left his signature blues-rock mark on it. You'll love it.

**B. **_The bad news_ is I might not be posting as regular as I have hoped. And the reason for that is…work. Work starts June 2 for me. I won't have half as much free time as I do these days. Despite that, I'm going to keep pushing my pen. ;) So hang in there.

**C. **About the challenge, I revealed Kaoru's, Ganko's and Tokiya's ages here. The difference between Kaoru and Fuuko's age is three years. Do the math and it'll help you solve the challenge.

**D. **So, how would you rate this chapter? Send me a review!

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**INTERACTION SECTION**

Thank you **Eirist, **you're my first reviewer for chapter two again. Thanks! I hope this will turn into a trend. Hahaha! I'm glad Tokiya made you swoon in Chapter 2. Fuuko's a lucky girl, isn't she? Hope you fancied this chapter? I dedicated it to you. I will be looking forward to seeing you every Friday as well.

Aah, **Mealoaf**, is there any chance you'd get used to the ring of _baby_? ) Coz I can't get enough of your reviews, baby. ;p hehehe. Just kidding. Seriously though, have you read _Baby You're Mine? _It's fantastic. I think you'll enjoy it.

**Yanagi-chyan! **A long review, wow I love you. Thank you so much for the kind words. I had the time of my life with chapter two actually and was close to tears when I read your review. Your sensitivity, woman, astounds me. I knew I was taking a risk by presenting that moment in a YM chat format, but I was also hoping such a simple moment would present thoughts and actions as well. ) You got it again. I had fun reading your experience with the Miki-Neon-Recca-Tokiya episode. I just really hope someone from the FOR animation staff would read _your _fanfics and then they would definitely be inspired create more FOR episodes with Tokiya-Fuuko pairing! )

Hey there **Snowcharms! **) I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope this one didn't just make you LOL but it made you ROTFLOL. Mi-chan was _so_ creamed. Oh well, that's girl power. Hehehehe.

Greetings **Nils, **you really paid close attention. Love that. Were you able to do the math in this chapter? I'm glad the notion of writing a Tofuu couple fic was well received. Thank you so much for the vote of encouragement. I hope you enjoyed this installment. ) Write me another note, okay?

Hello **Suryasree! **Phew, characterization is really tough especially if you have great (the technical word in the literary realm being round/complex) characters like Tokiya and Fuuko. But I gotta tell you, the FOR fandom isn't running out of talent when Yanagi-chyan, Khay, Mia Fitzpatrick, MS Word, Autrevalse, Bishounen Lovah (to name a few) are around. Their characterization of Tokiya and Fuuko is simply brilliant. Wow, it's almost midnight, here's chapter three. I hope I beat the deadline. )


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